Angel
by UchihaItaSasu
Summary: "I think she knew. I remember my mother walking around the new nursery and explaining every little detail to me. She showed me where she kept everything and what the items were for or how it was used. As if she was preparing me to raise my little brother all alone." YAOI, Incest, Fluff, AU, Abuse, Lemons in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

* * *

Chapter 1.

_**Itachi: 8 years old**_

_**Sasuke: infant**_

I think she knew. I remember my mother walking around the new nursery and explaining every little detail to me. She showed me where she kept everything and what the items were for or how it was used. As if she was preparing me to raise my little brother all alone.

She often took me with her when she visited her sister, who had just given birth to a baby boy two months earlier; showing me how to hold the baby and explaining the proper use of bottles and how to prepare baby food. She explained to me how to bathe him and change his diapers.

I stored all the information in my young but brilliant brain, unconsciously knowing this was important. And I was so excited. I couldn't wait for the moment when I could finally hold my brother in my arms. I somehow already knew it was going to be a boy and my mother had accepted my premonition as her own.

I saved up my weekly allowance and shares from completed missions and bought toys and books even before he was born. My mother and I spend long evenings talking to the baby in her belly and I would read him stories from the books I bought. Or just tell him about my day while I rested my head against my mother's protruding stomach as she stroked my hair.

"I know your little brother will be the happiest boy in the world with a brother like you, Itachi. Promise me you will always care for him as much as you do now."

Another tell-tale that should've prepared me for the worst news a barely 8 year old boy can ever hear. But it didn't. I would just look into her warm smiling eyes and respond

"I promise I will love him more every day and always protect him!"

I remember standing outside her hospital room and patiently waiting for the nurse to tell me I could go inside and see my mother and baby brother. My father had dropped me off there after he got sick of my incessant pleading. He never even stepped one foot into the hospital. He didn't care. As far as he was concerned, this second child was nothing but a burden and a mistake. He already had his little prodigy to show off, what good could this new baby possibly bring? And he didn't hesitate to voice his opinion to my mother or myself. And it hurt me deeply; I even hated the man for it.

When I was finally allowed to enter the hospital room, I was ecstatic. I nervously sat down on my mother's bed and could hardly breathe when a nurse walked over to me and placed the little bundle in my arms. The world just faded out when I looked at my Otouto's face for the very first time. All I could see was him; his perfect little face, dark eyes looking up at me with curiosity, his little pink lips curled up in an adorable pout and his chubby cheeks flushed from all the new impressions.

I just sat there, staring at him in awe, until I felt a tiny hand wrapping itself around my finger. My mother stroked his dark hair and then looked at me with her beautiful smile.

"Will you help me with a name for your brother, Itachi?"

I thought about it for a few seconds and looked back at the perfect little being in my arms.

"Sasuke…" I whispered.

My mother just nodded and laid her head back against the pillow, the smile still playing around her lips.

"Take good care of Sasuke, Itachi…"

And still, I didn't fully grasp the meaning behind her words. I just assumed she was going back to sleep, so I gently kissed her forehead and turned my attention back to my Otouto. His little fist was still tightly clenched around my finger and his tiny mouth had opened up as if he was hungry. I slowly brought my confiscated finger to his lips and as soon as it was within his reach, he closed his mouth around it and started sucking on it. He let out a content little sigh and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

My eyes welled up when I felt an overwhelming amount of warmth spread through my body. I lowered my head and rested it lightly against him, inhaling and memorizing his scent. It was then that I realized; I was already utterly and hopelessly in love with this innocent little boy and I swore to myself that I would never let anything bad happen to him.

"I love you, little Sasuke…"

That was such a bittersweet day for me. It was the first time I laid eyes on the beautiful Angel that would be the center of my universe, but also the last time that I saw my loving mother alive. She died of complications only hours after giving birth to Sasuke. Sometimes I still regret the fact that I hadn't been more attentive towards her in those final moments together, but I know that the sight of me being so engrossed in my little brother was everything she ever wanted. And I'm also sure that she knew how much I loved her…

But I didn't have much time to mourn over her, as the arrival of my new brother consumed all of my time and attention. So I gathered all the grief and pain in my heart, turned it into even more love and poured it out over the beautiful boy that now ruled my life.

My father blamed the loss of his wife on Sasuke. The only attention the little boy received from him was in the form of insults and disgusted glares. And just like my love for my Otouto grew each day, so did the hate I carried for my father. How could anyone look at something so precious and then discard it as if it was filth? My young brain couldn't deal with it in any other way than my increasing resentment towards him. So I made sure Sasuke didn't leave my sight whenever the man was home.

There would be aunts and other women from the Uchiha clan that would come and help out with taking care of the baby when I was at school or on a mission. But as soon as I came home, I picked him up and wouldn't let go of him. They would tell me about how Sasuke would cry when I wasn't there and how he would stop as soon as he heard me enter the house. It broke my heart to know that my absence was making my Otouto sad. But on the other hand, it also increased my determination to always be there for him, no matter what I had to sacrifice.

* * *

**Itachi: 9 years old**

**Sasuke: almost 1 year old**

My best (and maybe even only) friend, Hatake Kakashi, would come around whenever he could. He was two years older than me and had also developed a soft spot for my adorable Otouto. He was one of the few people I trusted 100% and even Sasuke had grown attached to him, stretching his chubby little arms out to be picked up by my silver haired friend and ANBU teammate.

"Hello pretty little Uchiha!"

His usual greeting towards the toddler sounded happily through the house, while Sasuke squealed with joy as he was hoisted up and carried around the room like an airplane.

After a few minutes he sat the boy down in his baby chair, while I prepared some mashed fruit and sat down to feed Sasuke. He took a bite and scrunched his little mouth into a disgusted frown and refused the rest of the food. I sighed and went back into the kitchen to chop up some tomatoes for him. His face lit up with that beautiful smile of his when I presented him with my peace offering.

"One of these days you are gonna have to eat something else besides tomatoes, Otouto..." I grumbled in defeat.

Behind me, Kakashi was chuckling.

"Such a spoiled little Uchiha!"

I turned around to glare at him, which meant I had to take my eyes off Sasuke for a few seconds. When I saw the expression on my friend's face change to one of shock and amusement, I immediately realized my mistake. My baby brother's fondness for tomatoes was really bordering on the obsessive. When I turned back, my fears became reality.

He was covered head to toe in tomato juice, little bits hanging from his lips which were currently curled upwards in an ecstatic grin. He held some scrunched pulp in his hands and he was looking at me intently. Almost as if he was aiming...

"SASUKE! NO! DON'T YOU DARE..."

SPLASH!

Kakashi was on the floor, holding his stomach from laughing so hard. And Sasuke's squeals of happiness made me lower my head in defeat. But then that high-pitched noise changed into the most heart-warming sounds I had ever heard. Sasuke tried to talk.

"Eeeeh... Taaaasii! Taaashi!"

I just stared at him, dumbfounded. Even the ever-annoying Hatake was quiet for a change. He blinked and looked back and forward between me and my little brother a few times.

"Did Chibi just... Say your name?"

I still couldn't do any more than nodding and staring at that point. Kakashi stood up and walked around to lean over the tomato-explosion formally known as Sasuke.

"Say it again Chibi!"

The toddler looked at him intently for a few seconds and then stretched a chubby little finger out towards me.

"Taashi!" He repeated happily.

I felt like crying and laughing at the same time.

"Taashi Taashi Taaaashiiii!"

For some reason I didn't even faze at the knowledge that Kakashi was still in the same room, when a single tear ran slowly down my face. I grabbed my Otouto's dirty cheeks and began littering kisses all over his tomato-covered face.

Sasuke reached his chubby arms up towards me as far as he could reach and began to clench and unclench his little fists as a sign that he wanted to be picked up. I laughed and took him into my arms, not caring about the tomato-goo he was covered in.

"You're right baby, time for a bath."

Kakashi took that as his queue to leave with a loud and happy "See ya Uchiha's!"

I filled the bathtub up until halfway and put both of our clothes in the washing machine. Sasuke was very busy picking pieces of tomato from his bangs, making him cross-eyed while he sat on the floor.

"My pretty little Angel"

I snickered while I clutched him with his back against my chest and lowered us into the bathtub. I kept one arm around his waist to hold him in my lap and struggled to wash his soft hair with one hand.

All the while he was splashing around happily and babbling incoherent words, ending every sentence with a cute little "Taashi!" He obviously understood how happy that one word had made me. I loved spending time with my Otouto like this. I brought my knees up and turned Sasuke around to support his back against my upper legs. He smiled his heartwarming smile at me and grabbed some loose strands of my hair.

He looked at me thoughtfully for a few seconds, before wrapping my hair around his fingers and treating me to another award-winning smile.

"Taashi"

He almost whispered this time. I wrapped both my arms around him and nuzzled my face in his neck.

"Yes baby, I'm your Tachi."

He sighed happily, stuck his thumb in his mouth and rested his head against my chest. It only took a few moments before his eyes fluttered shut and he fell asleep.

I slowly got out from the tub, careful not to wake him and wrapped a warm towel around him. I was going to have to clean the mess in the kitchen before our father would come home. I stepped out of the bathroom with the intention of putting Sasuke in bed first, clean the mess and come back later to dress the boy. But it already was too late. A loud slam of the front door signaled the early arrival of an already pissed off Fukagu.

He stood in the hallway with a grim look on his face and glared at the bundle in my arms. Then his eyes darted towards the open kitchen and he started yelling.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?"

Sasuke immediately woke up and started crying. With three big steps Fukagu stood in front of us, looking at the toddler with a menacing look in his eyes.

Instinctively I wrapped my arms tighter around my Otouto, but the man was still so much stronger than I was. He grabbed Sasuke away from me and held him by the towel in one big hand.

"This fucking useless bitch is ruining you, Itachi! And I will not stand for it! Have you trained today? Studied? Have you done ANYTHING besides doting on this piece of shit?"

I was mortified. My precious little Angel was precariously dangling from our 'father's' hand, with his little arms outstretched towards me. Tears were rolling down his beautiful face while he sobbed my name and looked at me with such fear in his eyes... It broke my heart and my sanity.

I lunged towards the horrible man in front of me and pounded my fists against his chest.

"Let him go! You're hurting him! Give me my Sasuke back!"

I couldn't think, I could hardly breathe and all that I could see was the terror in my Otouto's big, teary eyes. Fukagu's voice dropped dangerously low when he grabbed me by the collar with his free hand and raised me off the ground a few inches.

"I swear to god Itachi, I will not have your potential get washed down the drain because of this useless little bitch! If I ever…"

And that's as far as he got with his threat. A loud knock on the door and a male voice calling out his name, made Fukagu set me back down. He growled one last time and practically threw Sasuke at me before he went to answer the door.

As soon as I wrapped my arms around my Otouto, his sobbing stilled. He wrapped his arms around my neck and whimpered quietly. The mess in the kitchen long forgotten, I stroked Sasuke's hair and whispered sweet little words in his ear. As soon as I was in my room, I quickly locked the door behind me, giving me that false sense of security. I knew that Fukagu could easily break it down if he wanted to, but it would have to do for now.

I dressed Sasuke in his nightwear and laid him down in my bed. And even though it was hardly time for bed for me, I changed into my own nightwear as well and cuddled up beside my little brother. There was no way I was going to leave the boy out of my sight anymore. I hid my emotions and smiled a big smile for Sasuke and kissed him all over his face. The tears on his cheeks had started to dry and he even managed a little smile back through the last hiccups. I pressed him close to my chest and rested my chin on his head.

Still sensing the fear and shock in his little body, I softly started to sing for him. I remembered the lullabies my mother used to sing for me.

_Baby mine, don't you cry_

_Baby mine, dry your eyes_

_Rest your head close to my heart_

_Never to part_

_Baby of mine_

_Little one, when you play_

_Don't you mind what they say_

_Let those eyes sparkle and shine_

_Never a tear_

_Baby of mine_

_If they knew sweet little you_

_They'd end up loving you too_

_All those same people who scold you_

_What they'd give_

_Just for the right to hold you_

_From your head down to your toes_

_You're beautiful, goodness knows_

_And you're so precious to me_

_Sweet as can be_

_Baby of mine _

I was aware of the fact that my mother had adjusted the lyrics a little and I deliberately used her version. It just made more sense.

When I noticed that Sasuke's breathing had steadied and he was now fast asleep against my chest, I let out the nervous sigh I had been holding in for my Otouto's sake. I had to be strong for him, make him feel safe and loved. But now that he was asleep, I could no longer hold back the tears of sorrow and fear.

How I missed my mother right now. She would know what to do, she would hold me and whisper to me and stroke my long hair. But I was all alone. Sasuke was all I had left and I had to be there for him. And I knew I could and would, but right then, I was just a little 9 year old boy, in dire need of parental love and affection. I fell asleep that night with tears in my eyes and my mother's name on my lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far! It really helps to keep the creative flow coming ;)

I just realized I have been spelling Fugaku's name wrong throughout the entire first chapter... .

Ah well, on with the story. I have the general outline finished, but I'm struggling with filling of each chapter, so bear with me please :)

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**Chapter 2.**

I was probably being ridiculous. It wasn't as if he could fully understand what it meant to celebrate his birthday yet, but I couldn't help spending nearly all my money on presents, decorations, balloons and the biggest cake I could find. Which actually WAS ridiculous, since Sasuke probably wouldn't touch it unless it tasted like tomatoes.

It was hot, that 22nd of July. I was almost breaking a sweat, while hauling all my purchases home. It would stay hot for the next few weeks, and even though I normally welcomed it, I was worrying too much to really enjoy it. Fugaku had been home for a few days in a row now and I was really hoping he would decide to leave today and tomorrow.

But somehow he hadn't done anything besides hanging around the house, looming over my head like a threat. I had put in some extra effort of studying and training, while keeping Sasuke close to me. As long as Fugaku saw I was being a good Uchiha prodigy and his youngest son was not in his vicinity, he seemed almost relaxed and didn't bother either of us.

But I was afraid of his reaction when he found out I had spent a lot of money and time on Sasuke's birthday. I knew he would be pissed off and feared he would take it out on the toddler I loved so much. And as determined as I was to make my Angel's first birthday unforgettable, it wasn't worth it if he would be on the receiving end of our father's wrath.

When I reached Kakashi's house, I was greeted by my friend's father, who took the heavy bags from me with a huge grin on his face.

"Wow Itachi-kun! Did you shop for the next 5 birthdays as well?"

I rolled my eyes in mock annoyance, earning the signature Hatake grin from the older man.

"You are going to ruin a perfectly good kid with all your spoiling."

I was going to retort with a very witty comment, but Sasuke's high pitched voice sounded through the hallway and all my attention was shifted towards the little boy that was coming my way slowly.

Tightly held up by Kakashi's hands, Sasuke was looking at me with a combination of blissful happiness and utter concentration. His little fingers were clenched around the larger ones that carefully held him up and his chubby legs were moving in an attempt to walk towards me. Even though he was kicking in the air more than his feet even touched the ground, his little tongue was perched between his lips in a gesture of pure focus.

I smiled so widely it almost hurt my cheeks and waited 'patiently' for my Otouto to reach me. He had started to try and walk for a few days now and he would get very pissed off when someone decided to pick him up while in was in the process of trying to get to a certain point. He had even pouted for 2 hours straight when I had committed that unforgivable sin. Not even playing in the bathtub with his Aniki, which was one of his favourite things to do, had made him any less angry.

So we learned to just let the adorably little boy decide his own pace and not interrupt him while he was that focussed, even though I secretly loved his cute little tantrums. When he was only two meters away from me, I sat down on my knees and stretched out my arms to him, not failing to see the glitter in those beautiful onyx eyes. He looked at me intently and put both his little feet down on the wooden floor firmly.

With pure determination he wriggled his fingers out of Kakashi's careful grasp and stood, albeit a little unstable, all by himself. He stretched his chubby arms out to the sides for balance and never took his fiery eyes off me while taking his first unsteady step alone.

I heard my friend and his father gasp and saw them both fumbling with their phones to snap some pictures of the momentous occasion from the corner of my eyes. But it didn't really register until later, since all my attention was focused on the messy haired little boy that was biting his lip in concentration.

"Come on baby, you can do it! Come to Nii-san!"

I encouraged him, while I stretched my arms out even further towards him. Little step after little step he came closer, his eyebrows scrunched together while he fought to keep his balance. When he was almost close enough for me to pick him up, he tripped over his own feet and fell forward with a more frustrated than scared wail, but I leaned forward quickly and scooped him up safely in my arms.

I hugged his little body tightly against my chest before littering his chubby face with light kisses, praising the happy boy with my words and my huge grin. He placed his wide-spread fingers over my cheeks and lips, squeezing lightly and returned my expression with that heart-warming smile of his.

"You are home just in time Uchiha; he has been trying to do that nearly all afternoon. I had my phone ready for hours now, just in case you would miss it!"

Kakashi patted the boy's unruly spikes and grinned while he held his phone in front of me, showing a picture of Sasuke's adorably concentrated face when he had walked towards me. I felt so proud; it was almost as if he had waited for me to come back before he would actually take his first steps alone.

When we got ready to go home, Kakashi's father, Sakumo, assured me that we could celebrate Sasuke's birthday at his house if I wanted. I accepted his offer gladly and bowed so many times to show my gratitude, that the man lightly smacked the back of my head to make me stop.

"It's really no problem Itachi-kun. I almost think of you boys as my sons, so I would be very happy to be able to celebrate together with you."

I felt like a million dollars walking home that late afternoon, all my worries about the next day gone. My Otouto was firmly clutched against my chest and his arms were wrapped around my neck. Luckily he had been too sleepy to throw another fit when I had picked him up instead of letting him walk by himself.

The next day was everything I had ever wanted for Sasuke's first birthday. Even though he was too small to really understand it, it mattered to me. The nearly estatic look in his eyes when I placed him in the middle of a pile of wrapped and unwrapped presents was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen.

He started by tearing the paper off of everything he could get his hands on, until he seemed to realize that all those shiny packages were his to enjoy. Then he slowed down, inspecting every little bow and decoration.

When all presents were finally unwrapped, which took quite a while due to the sheer quantity and Sasuke's dawdling, I was surprised to find that he did actually eat the cake I had bought for him. His cute little face was covered in icing all the way up to his ears and his adorable grin seemed to be permanently stuck to his lips.

With the stuffed green dinosaur I had given him tightly clutched to his chest, he stumbled around the Hatake's backyard, throroughly enjoying the shallow pool and playthings they had set up for him. Seeing the naked little boy splashing around in the water and running around the garden with his apparently new favorite toy made my day brighter that I could have imagined.

The high-pitched squeels of happiness and his sweet broken mentions of my name echoed through the yard, while I ran after him with my phone to capture every moment and every beautiful glimmer in his dark eyes.

Finally he was getting tired and fell asleep mid sentence while he was telling me all about things that I couldn't possibly understand. I lifted him up and sat down in the shade with him, feeling my own eyes growing heavy in the heat of the afternoon sun.

"I love you Otouto"

I softly whispered against his ear before I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

A/N: Geez, so much fluff in the last chapter! I didn't know I had it in me! XD

I know I made Fugaku a horrible man in this story, but please remember that this is an Alternate Universe, where an abusive father is something I needed for the plot. The man is sick, grief stricken and taking out his frustration on the wrong person, being little Sasuke. I don't think he was a bad man in the actual anime/manga, but he is in this story. And it will get worse, so if you don't want to read about domestic violence, it's time to stop reading!

I promise it will all work out though XD

Well, on with the story, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 3.

That late afternoon I took Sasuke home with me to do one other thing I wanted to remember that day. Not only was my little Angel born this day one year ago, we had also lost our loving mother. And even though I would do anything I could to make sure Sasuke would never feel any sadness, especially not on his birthday, I also wanted him to know that we used to have a mother that loved us very much.

One day I would be able to tell him about her. How sweet and kind she was, how beautiful her voice was and how Sasuke's eyes and smile looked so much like hers already. I looked down at the yawning bundle in my arms and grinned at the green dinosaur that was stuffed in between us. It was the one thing Sasuke had refused to leave behind, and I figured I was destined to share my Otouto's love from now on. Normally I didn't take too kindly of that kind of competition, but I guessed I could endure it if it was just a stuffed animal.

When we arrived at the private cemetery, I put Sasuke down and helped him walk towards the almost idyllic shrine near the entrance. It really was befitting of a woman as beautiful as she had been. Lush vines curled around the white pillars surrounding the grave and the large trees in the near vicinity gave the place a secluded feel. The large white lilies emitted a soft, clean scent. My mother always loved those flowers and the smell reminded me of her.

Sasuke fell silent, obviously impressed with his new surroundings. His dark eyes darted around, following a colourful butterfly that lazily flew from flower bud to flower bud. He pulled on my hand, somehow knowing not to make much noise in this quiet place, and pointed out the butterfly, whose vivid colours made a sharp contrast with the soft white of the lilies.

I nodded and smiled at the toddler while I stroked his hair.

"Come on Otouto, I want you to meet someone."

I sat down in front of the memorial stone and pulled the visibly awed boy in my lap. As I wrapped my arms around him, I felt him exhale and relax against my chest and I couldn't help a small chuckle at his flushed little cheeks. He was so adorable.

For a moment we just sat there quietly, listening to the sounds of a small waterfall crashing down into the nearby lake and the birds that had made their home in the treetops above our heads. I remembered our mother's love for nature and felt a pang of both sadness and happiness when I realized she would have loved this particular spot.

"This is where our mother rests, Otouto. She loved you very much and I'm sure she is watching over you right now."

I looked up and pointed towards the sky, which was barely visible from our vantage point.

"She is up there baby, in heaven. And she is smiling down on you, because she loves you and she always will, no matter what happens."

With large and bright eyes, Sasuke followed my pointed finger towards the sky, his fingers almost nervously playing with the stuffed animal in his grasp. I kissed his chubby cheek and nuzzled his neck.

"Just as I will always love you, Otouto!"

I bowed my head to say a quick prayer, as I was supposed to, and then turned back to look at a wide-eyed Sasuke, who was still staring upwards, where a few rays of sunlight broke through the thick canopy of leafs and branches. He rested his little head against my shoulder while I softly hummed the lullaby I sang for Sasuke every night.

For those short moments I felt so peaceful, so happy to be there in our mother's presence together with my little Angel. There was still a slight sting of sadness, but it was as if I could almost see her smile and hear her voice. As if she was right there with us.

But even though I wished we could stay like this forever, I knew we had to go home. It was getting late already, so I picked up the now sleeping boy and headed home.

I sensed trouble as soon as we entered the house. The air was thick with the stench of alcohol and I noticed the floor in the living room was littered with pieces of broken glass. As silently as I could I tip-toed through the hallway, quietly praying he wouldn't notice us. But my prayers were unanswered. I was almost at the stairs when I felt a large hand clasped around my neck.

"Where the hell have you been, Itachi?"

His words were slurring, indicating he was drunk enough to lose his composure, which was a bad thing with a pissed off Fugaku. I turned around and lowered my head. Obedience and respect were the best way to ease his fury, so I did my best to express both those things, even though I felt neither towards our father.

"I'm sorry for being later than usual, father. I will start making dinner as soon as possible."

Purposefully avoiding his question, I bowed and tried to get up the stairs. At the very least I wanted to put Sasuke in bed, away from father, although he had woken up already. His eyes were large and frightened when he looked at Fugaku's angry face and he clung to me even tighter than before.

"I bet you haven't been doing anything useful today huh? I bet you have been babysitting the whole time."

The angry eyes flashed dangerously as he held out one hand towards Sasuke.

"Give me the kid Itachi. You have been spending enough time with him."

My throat swelled up and I suddenly had trouble breathing.

"I-It's fine father, he needs to sleep. I'll just put him to bed and I can..."

"Are you deaf son?"

He took another step towards me and tightened the hold he still had on my neck. It wasn't painful yet, but it was definitely a warning.

"Give. Me. The. Kid."

Fugaku was practically hissing at me, his eyes shooting venomous daggers at the scared little boy in my arms.

I started to panic, knowing I had nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide.

"Please father..."

I begged him, while my stomach turned at the thought of surrendering my helpless Otouto to this man's mercy. I didn't need to look into his onyx eyes to know how scared he was, since I could feel his little body trembling against me.

This was a losing battle I was trying to fight and I knew it. If I disobeyed for much longer, Fugaku would lose his last bit of control and grab Sasuke away from me anyway. Which would probably mean my Otouto was in a lot of danger. If I gave him up now, at least our father still had a small semblance of clarity, which could make the difference.

I tried to make my body move, to hand my Angel over to the man I both feared and hated, but I couldn't seem to make my arms obey my orders. I just instinctively pulled the boy closer to me, unable to do something that could harm my Otouto.

I clenched my eyes in an attempt to will the tears of frustration away and quickly whispered in Sasuke's little ear, hoping he would understand me.

"Please be quiet baby, don't make a sound!"

Before I could properly finish that sentence, Fugaku grabbed Sasuke's small frame and held him under his arm.

"Go upstairs Itachi. I don't want to see you until you've finished your homework."

And with that he turned around and walked towards the open kitchen, with a slightly struggling Sasuke still tucked away under his arm. I forced myself to look at his little teary face and pleaded him with my eyes to be quiet and obedient. When father turned back around in the doorway with a threatening look on his visage, I pretended to slowly walk up the stairs, biting my lip to keep the tears from falling.

Sasuke had seemingly understood what I was trying to tell him, since he still hadn't uttered a single sound. But those eyes, they haunted me. Trembling, filled to the brim with unshed tears and his chubby cheeks dripping wet with the tears that had already fallen down from those long eyelashes.

I took another step backwards while my mind was screaming at me to make a dash for it, to grab Sasuke and just run. But I knew it was pointless. How could a 9 year old boy ever outrun and outsmart a grown man? Especially with a toddler in his arms?

When I took another hesitant step up the stairs, Fugaku walked into the kitchen and out of my sight. As soon as I heard a quiet thud and the scraping of a chair that was pulled backwards I went down the stairs far enough to peer into the kitchen.

"Well, go on then you little shit. Smile! Everyone keeps telling me how much your fat face is just like the one of the woman you killed when you smile... So show me!"

Fugaku had put the boy down on the table in front of him, supporting his face with his hands and stared at him intently. My heart shattered into a million pieces when I saw my Otouto's chubby fingers clench around the leg of his stuffed toy so tightly, that his shaking knuckles turned white. He was being so brave, but I was supposed to protect him. He shouldn't HAVE to be brave!

A low growl rose from Fugaku's throat and a horrible, ominous feeling crept over me, making my legs move on their own.

"SHOW ME GODDAMMIT!"

A large hand slammed on the table, startling the already scared toddler who immediately began to cry. And I just lost it. My vision went blurry and I ran into the kitchen just in time to see Fugaku's hand strike Sasuke on the cheek, which made the boy fall backwards from the table with a loud and pained yelp. I threw myself forward to catch him, but I couldn't prevent Sasuke's forehead from slamming against the armrest of another chair.

Almost immediately blood started to gush from the open wound and I freaked out. I shoved my palm against his little head and put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. As my mind turned completely blank in terror I felt Fugaku grab my arm and pull us up.

"Take him to the hospital and get him fixed. And if you tell anyone about what really happened, I won't hesitate to kill the fucking little brat, you hear me?"

I believed him. The hate was almost literally oozing from his voice and it scared the shit out of me. So I ran. I ran like I had never done before, going completely on auto-pilot since I could hardly see anything through my tears. Sasuke's frame hung limp in my arms as I dashed through the now dark streets of Konoha, not stopping until I crashed against the doors of the tall building that I knew was the hospital.

I slumped down against the cold glass, sobbing with exhaustion as two white-clad people rushed towards me. The dark-haired man lifted Sasuke from my arms and I was too tired to even object notice it. The other one, a blond woman, grabbed my hand and pulled me up. She brought me to a bright lit room and sat me down on an empty bed. It was only then that I realized that I was alone.

"Where is Sasuke?!"

I nearly screamed in panic, while the nurse tried to calm me down.

"He is with the doctor, don't worry. They will take good care of him."

But it wasn't helping me at all. There was no way I would let him out of my sight again. Bad things happened when we were apart. I started to fight against her inquisitive hands while she checked me for any wounds.

"Are you hurt as well? What happened?"

Suddenly my father's horrifying threat resonated through my head again.

"I-I… We…"

What was I going to say? I looked down at the floor and bit my lip to stop it from trembling. And then it hit me.

"Sasuke… He j-just started to walk by himself today. And… before I could do anything… He f-fell… against a wall… And there was so much b-blood, I'm so scared…"

The nurse nodded and stood up after she was sure I had no injuries whatsoever.

"I know you're scared and worried, but I need you to stay here for a few moments okay? I will ask how the boy is doing. Is he your little brother?"

I nodded, inwardly fighting against a steady flow of fresh tears. She grabbed a pen and a clipboard and started to scribble down some things I couldn't see.

"So his name is Sasuke… And your name is?"

"Itachi… Uchiha Itachi…"

"And where are your parents?"

I swallowed and looked down at the floor.

"My mother… She died last year… And my father… He… He isn't home right now."

Normally I would hate how broken my voice was sounding, but I couldn't find it in me to care about it at that point. All I wanted to know was if Sasuke was going to be okay.

I heard the blond nurse sigh as she stopped writing on the paper that was attached to the clipboard. Did she believe me? I lifted my head up just a little and glanced at her face. She was chewing on her bottom lip as if in deep thought, but apparently decided to leave it at that. As soon as she left, I buried my face in my hands and started to sob quietly. This day had started out so good, how could it end like this?

The images of my happy little Angel running naked through a sun filled garden, or sitting peacefully in my lap at our mother's memorial stone, it all seemed so far away right now. As if it had never happened.

After what seemed like hours, the door opened up and the doctor came in, with Sasuke in his arms. A large white bandage was wrapped around his head and he seemed a little dazed, but he was awake and seemingly fine. A sob of relief rose up from my chest as the doctor placed the boy back in my arms, where he belonged.

Even though it was hard to concentrate on anything but the little Angel in my lap, I heard the doctor say that Sasuke was fine. Apparently it had all seemed a lot worse than it actually was and even though he might have a headache for a while, there was no real damage done besides the broken skin. All I could do was nod while I pressed my cheek against my Otouto's, never wanting to break the contact between us.

The rest of the night was a bit hazy for me. I can remember the nurse guiding me towards a taxi, while my arms were firmly wrapped around my Angel, and handing the driver some money after telling him to take us wherever we needed to go. I knew she didn't have to go that far, so I was grateful, even though I hardly expressed it at that time.

Back home I rushed through the hallway and up the stairs to my room, where I fell on the bed and wrapped the sheets around the both of us. I didn't even bother to take off my clothes and kissed Sasuke's tiny nose one more time before we both fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to me, the blond nurse back at the hospital sighed and looked over the sheet of paper she had filled in. Her hand was shaking slightly as she gazed out the window with a worried look on her face. When the door opened up and a tall man with long white hair walked in, she was torn from her thoughts and smiled as he lightly pecked her on the lips.

"Are you alright dear?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, there's just something about these two kids that came in here earlier. Something is bothering me about the eldest's behaviour and explanation."

After a last glance at the paper she sighed and exchanged her hospital jacket for her own coat that her husband held out for her. With another sweet smile she followed him out of the office and locked the door behind her.

"Oh well, I guess I'm just worrying too much again..."

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

**A/N:** This took me a while, but I'm in desperate need for some inspiration, so thank you for bearing with me :) And thank you so much for the reviews! I REALLY love those ^.^

* * *

Chapter 4.

**Itachi: 11 years old**

**Sasuke: 3 years old**

Watching Sasuke grow up was one of the only joys I had in that point of my life. Every day he grew more beautiful and I grew more attached to him. His adorable smiles brightened even the saddest days and never failed to bring a smile to my own face.

Now 3 years old, the boy waddled after me everywhere I went. He was quite the chatterbox as well and his favorite things to say were 'Tachi', 'Nii-san' and 'I love you'. There was hardly a sentence where he didn't use one of these and preferably he used them all. Babbling incessantly about every little detail that caught his curious eyes, he was tightly clutched on my hand as we slowly walked through the busy town streets.

Being the adorable little boy that he was, he was constantly harassed by women trying to pinch his still chubby cheeks and his free hand and trouser pockets were filled with sweets and candy, which he would get rid of as soon as he could. But he endured the manhandling patiently and flashed his winning smile generously at the gushing crowd around him. A little heartbreaker in the making.

I felt a bit sad, as we were on our way to one of Sasuke's babysitters. I would have to leave him there for a few days, seeing as I had a mission coming up. Being 11 years old now, they became more and more frequent and I often wondered if I was doing the right thing with being in ANBU. At a certain point I would have to leave for weeks or maybe even months and leaving Sasuke with any babysitter for that long would be impossible. And I sure as hell wasn't going to leave him at home, where Fugaku ruled.

The man had either drowned himself in his work the last few years, or had found another way to keep himself away from our house until deep into the night. I was grateful for it. Even though Sasuke had learned the hard way to steer away from him, any accidental meeting between the two always ended up in Fugaku's trash talk and sometimes even violence. Sasuke couldn't understand what it was he did wrong with the man and always ended up in tears and bruises. But Fugaku always made sure that it was in places where people wouldn't notice easily.

He still threatened us with his words, stating that Sasuke and I would get split up if we ever told anyone about the abuse. And I believed him. The idea of ever being apart from my Otouto scared me beyond words.

My blood boiled at the thought of my precious Otouto being hurt by the man I had come to hate, but I was still so young, there was little I could do about it besides comforting and consoling Sasuke whenever it was necessary.

Suddenly I was torn from my thoughts when I felt Sasuke being lifted a few feet up in the air.

"Hello pretty little Uchiha!"

The boy laughed happily with his new vantage point and clamped his fists in the messy silver spikes of my teammate. Kakashi gave me a comforting grin from behind his mask, which only showed his upwards curled eye.

"Off to the babysitter?"

My stomach turned a bit at the thought of leaving my baby for so long, but I hid it with a small smirk and nodded. Sasuke never stopped his endless stream of words. His sentences were now concentrated around the words 'Tachi' and 'Kashi', which amused my tall friend to no ends. With Kakashi and myself being the only people my little brother came in contact with regularly, he had come to the conclusion his name had to be either 'Baby', 'Angel' or 'pretty little Uchiha'. I was grateful for my friend's involvement of my efforts to wipe all the words that Fugaku would throw at the boy from his memory. 'Useless little bitch' being the most prominent one.

5 days later the gates of Konoha were finally back in sight and Kakashi had chuckled at my ever increasing speed. I couldn't help myself. These last days had been torture. Even though I knew that Sasuke was perfectly safe with the babysitter, I couldn't stop worrying about him. And I couldn't wait to hold him in my arms again.

As soon as we reached the overly large gates, I could already feel Sasuke's familiar bubbly chakra nearby, making me speed up even more.

About 20 meters inside the village walls, sat Sasuke, accompanied by his babysitter's older daughter, who was around my age. They were playing a self-made game, consisting of rocks and twigs that Sasuke had probably gathered and which had my little Angel bouncing up and down in sheer excitement. I paused to look at him and felt my stomach flutter in the weirdest way.

He always evoked a reaction of happiness and love in me, but somehow this felt different. Like the feeling was magnified in some way. Which was weird, because how could I ever love that little boy more than I already did? I shrugged it off as a result of being away from him for a few days and headed in their direction.

It only took Sasuke a few moments to realize that I was back, which made him cry out and run towards me as fast as his chubby legs allowed him. I kneeled down and extended my arms to catch him, the sheer force of our collision throwing me back on my ass. A pair of dirty arms wrapped themselves tightly around my neck and held me as if he was determined to never let go again.

He was sobbing, pressing his wet face against my neck and trembling all over. For a moment I was worried something was wrong and glanced up towards the girl with raised eyebrows.

"He just missed you terribly, Itachi-san. All he could talk about today was how you would come back for him and he insisted we waited for you out here. We have been here since early morning."

She grinned and dusted off her skirt while she stood up.

"So if you don't mind, I will return home now to help my mother with the cleaning. I will make sure to bring Sasuke's clothes by this evening."

With a thankful look I nodded at her, while Kakashi actually did the polite thing and walked her home. But with the muddy mess of little arms and legs wrapped around my body, there was nothing else that could take up too much of my attention.

I pried the chocking arms away from my neck and placed my hands on his cheeks so I could shower his face with my usual kisses. His gorgeous eyes were sparkling with both joy and the remnant of his tears and his little mouth was already in the process of spewing forth a bumbling pile of words. I just smiled at him and stroked his silky hair.

Only listening with half an ear, I wondered why my heart was beating this fast. And why my stomach felt like it was on fire. And why my fingers were trembling as they curled around the black spikes. I looked into the large onyx eyes that were so diligently focussed on mine and noticed that it had been way too long since I had breathed properly.

I gasped for air while I felt myself falling, drowning into those bottomless black pools. What the hell was happening to me? There must have been a hint of confusion visible on my face, because Sasuke suddenly stopped talking and looked at me worriedly.

"Don't be sad Nii-san, I love you..."

Somehow, that adorable sentence helped me break out of my weird moment. Sasuke saw the world in such a way that made him firmly believe in the fact that love could fix everything. And in a way he was right. His love **could **fix me. I ruffled his hair and grinned widely.

"Then I won't be sad anymore Otouto. Because as long as you love me, I know everything will be alright!"

Sasuke's eyes grew impossibly wide before scrunching up in an annoyingly familiar upwards curve that complimented his killer smile. I forgave him instantly for obviously imitating my silver-haired friend and stood up with the boy still in my arms.

"So where do you want to go baby? You want to go to the sports field? Or maybe to the playground?"

I knew I didn't really need to ask, but I still thought I should offer him other options. But again, the outcome was clear and resolute.

"I want to go swimming of course! Silly Nii-san!"

He pouted and pulled on a loose strand of my long hair. I feigned shock and anger and lightly tapped his forehead, making him giggle and squirm.

"Silly? I am silly? Oh, you are in so much trouble now, Otouto. You better start running, before your SILLY Nii-san catches you!"

With a high-pitched squeal of both happiness and a tiny bit of excited fear of being chased, Sasuke wriggled out of my grasp and started running towards the shallow pond near our house. I made sure to stay near him, but not too close, so that I could hear more of those semi-frightened yells and laughter.

As soon as he reached the pond, Sasuke splashed in the water, drenching his clothes and hair. I hunched down and stretched out my arms to him, while wriggling my fingers.

"Are you ready for your punishment, naughty little Angel?"

Knowing what kind of punishment awaited him, Sasuke waded backwards, away from my fingers and began his countermeasures to avoid the inevitable.

"Noooo Nii-san... I'm sorry! Please! No punishment, I love you Nii-san!"

I grinned at his antics of trying to sweet-talk his way out of it, while he desperately tried to give me his best sad-puppy-look in between his excessive giggling. At only three years old, he already knew exactly what my weakness was. So promising...

"Oh no Sasuke, you are not going to get away from me this time! Come here!"

I lunged forward into the water and pretended to almost grab him, making the boy laugh even harder while he fell back on his bum. Backing away even further on his hands and feet, he still pleaded for mercy and even batted his long eyelashes at me.

"I'll be good, I promise Aniki! Please!"

His words were almost incomprehensible with his choked laughter and the splashing water around us. I decided to end our little game and grabbed his lithe frame to pull him against me and tickle him mercilessly. I moved my fingers over his tummy and sides, firmly holding him up with my other arm and playfully bit his neck.

"Aaahhh Niiiii-san! Nooooo! I love you...! No more pleeeaaase!"

I released him and gave him a few seconds to catch his breath. The ragged panting started to calm down when Sasuke realized his 'torture' was over and I could feel his little body relax against me. Hugging him tighter, I pressed my lips against his soft, wet cheek and murmured in between the kisses I gave him;

"I love you so much little Angel."

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

* * *

Chapter 5.

**Itachi: 13 years old**

**Sasuke: 5 years old**

When Sasuke turned 5, I decided against the Ninja Academy for him, and enrolled him in one of the normal schools. If needed, I would teach him all he needed to know about ninja techniques and I wanted him to have a choice for a normal life as well. I had gotten a simple job at a huge corporation, and was steadily working my way up. I had also taking up a few home schooling classes, knowing that I would need a more versatile education if I wanted to grow in my job. Now being 13 years old, I couldn't wait to be a legal adult and rent an apartment for me and Sasuke.

Fugaku had become more and more unpleasant in the time I had quit the ANBU. He ranted, yelled and threatened, but I didn't care anymore. My new job started after Fugaku had left for work and I was home long before he returned. I would even be able to bring Sasuke to school and be on time to pick him up. Life was finally starting to look up.

Until 4 weeks before school would start for my little Angel. I was called on a Saturday to help out with a crisis at work. Reluctantly I left Sasuke alone at home. He was mature and sweet enough to not get into trouble, but I still felt uneasy about it. I left Kakashi a message and asked if he could check up on him when he had the time.

It was chaos at work; someone had forgotten to file in a huge order and now all the work had to be done in 1 day. People were rushing past me with flushed faces and snarls on their lips. I grabbed a pile of papers and found a somewhat quiet corner to work in.

After 4 hours I decided to go grab a drink and suddenly remembered that I had left my cell phone in my coat. I rushed downstairs and saw I had 3 missed calls and a voicemail message. My heart started thumping ferociously and I quickly checked my voicemail. And my blood froze in my veins...

*Beeep*

"... Nii-san?"

The soft voice was sobbing and sounded very stressed out.

"...Nii-san, I'm s-sorry to call you, b-but I'm so scared..."

In the background I could hear a loud crash and Fugaku cursing loudly.

"Open this door RIGHT NOW, you goddamned little shit!"

Sasuke squeaked and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"P-please, go away... I-I didn't d-do anything wrong!"

Another loud crash, which was obviously a door breaking open and more cursing.

I heard Sasuke drop the phone and beg the man, who was supposed to be his father, not to hurt him.

Fugaku 's voice was now clear; he probably had picked up the phone.

"There is no one who will protect you now, you useless little bitch!"

"NO... PLEA..."

*Beeep*

I was already running towards the front door when my phone rang again. It was Kakashi. Telling me to rush to the hospital…

I don't even remember how I got there. My chest hurt and my sight was blurry from the shed tears. I yelled at the ladies at the reception, but before they found Sasuke's room number, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go Uchiha…"

Kakashi held on to my elbow while he led me to Sasuke's room.

"I'll tell you what happened later. Right now, Chibi needs you. I'll be waiting here."

And without another word, he pushed me into one of the rooms and closed the door behind me.

He looked so small and fragile in that huge bed. I stood next to him for a few seconds, fighting the urge to crush his little body against me and bawling my eyes out. Instead I softly stroked an errand strand of hair away from his angelic face and kissed his forehead. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and focused on me, slightly squinting from the bright lights above him.

"Nii-san…"

His voice sounded hoarse and I cringed when I saw the all bruises. I had promised to protect him. To never let anything or anyone hurt him again. I was such a failure…

"Oh baby… my beautiful Angel… I'm so sorry baby… I-I promise I will…"

I couldn't say anything else. What was I going to promise him? More empty words of protection? I obviously couldn't live up to the promises I made.

"I love you Nii-san…"

A small smile graced his lips before he sunk back into his medication-induced sleep. I stopped fighting the tears. Sobbing I crawled up onto the bed and curled up beside him, carefully draping an arm around his little frame. I pressed my nose in his hair and let his comforting scent lull me to sleep.

About 15 minutes later I was awoken by my silver haired friend and led out of the room. He told me what happened; he had come to check up on Sasuke and found Fugaku in the boy's room, roughly kicking against the motionless body that was curled up on the floor. Even though the man was hardly a pushover, Kakashi had taken advantage of the element of surprise and broken his nose with one well aimed hit, had grabbed Sasuke's unconscious body and rushed him to the hospital. Two of the boy's ribs were broken and he had a concussion, but there was no permanent damage. Apparently that made Sasuke 'a lucky boy'.

Suddenly a rush of blonde hair came around the corner and I was staring into the light-brown eyes of the nurse that had helped us on the night of Sasuke's birthday. It took me while before I recognized her, since she was now wearing a full doctor's outfit.

"Uchiha Itachi, right?"

I gulped and nodded when I noticed the fierce look in her eyes. So she remembered as well…

"You two boys better take a walk with me…"

* * *

There had been no sense denying it any longer. The wheels had already been set in motion and even though I had never been more scared of losing my little brother, I felt relieved that the truth was finally out. Living with such a destructive secret for so many years was unbelievably hard and I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. With the help of Kakashi's testimony and the blond doctor's findings, it had been made official.

At first the mere possibility of being separated from Sasuke held me back from spilling the beans on our 'father', but somehow the doctor and her husband had convinced me they would do everything in their power to keep us together.

And they had. In the most selfless way possible. We now knew their names to be Jiraiya and Tsunade and they had taken us both into their home. Even though it was hard to get used to a new life, a new home and even a new family, we were slowly starting to adjust to the changes. Sasuke even more so than I was, being the flexible and loving boy that he was.

It was a nice home; we both had our own room and a joined bathroom that connected our rooms together. I could see my little Angel liven up. He smiled even more than before and seemed to have a new found joy in his eyes. Sometimes I felt a little pang of jealousy to know that Sasuke was happier now because of our new caretakers, but most of the time I was grateful. They had offered up their privacy and their home to make sure we could stay together. Tsunade had explained to us how they had always wanted children of their own, but weren't able to and how this was the next best thing in their eyes.

She also told me how she had been worried and thinking about us ever since that night we came to have Sasuke's wound treated. She had somehow known something was wrong, but never found anything to back up her theory. Until that day she learned that a little boy named Uchiha Sasuke was brought to the hospital again.

But it was all over now. Fugaku was in jail and would be for a long time, Sasuke was at school and already way ahead of his classmates and I was being promoted quicker than anyone ever had been at my work. I saved up all my money, knowing that despite the great home we had now, I wanted to live alone with Sasuke as soon as I was allowed to buy or rent my own place.

I couldn't wait…

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

A/N: I had intended to write this entire story from Itachi's point of view, but as I progressed further in to it, I felt like it was missing something if I wouldn't add a bit of Sasuke's story as well. So here we go, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

And as always, thank you so much for all your reviews! ^.^

* * *

Chapter 6.

**Itachi: 14 years old**

**Sasuke: 6 years old**

Nervously Sasuke looked around the classroom. The other children glanced at him and giggled, making the boy even more self-conscious. He had been placed in higher class, since he was so far ahead of his own class. He didn't really know what that meant, but his Nii-san had been so happy, smiling at him and saying how proud he was.

So he would have to learn to live with the fear of being in a class with those kids who were 2 years older than he was. Anything for his Nii-san. Anything to see that beautiful smile that would light up Aniki's face. Sasuke balled his fists and chewed on his lip when the teacher pushed him forward towards one of the free seats near the window.

He heard the whispered words and mocking laughter, and tried his very best to ignore it. He would endure it, even though he was scared. Those boys were in his class now. The last year he had been able to avoid them as much as possible, but that would be a lot more difficult now. He would just have to make sure he wouldn't draw any attention to himself.

As he passed one of the boys that bullied him, he received a threatening glare. With a loud gulp he closed his eyes and reminded himself of his Nii-san's beautiful face. Aniki loved him, that was all that mattered.

As soon as he sat down, he realized that the chair and table were way too big for him. He shifted around uncomfortably but was unable to find a position that would work. After a few moments, the teacher frowned at him.

"Stop fidgeting Uchiha. If you think you're good enough to be in this class, you can deal with the furniture as well."

Sasuke looked down at his hands and fought against the burning tears. So even the teacher didn't want him here. But he could endure this. He could. For Itachi he could do anything.

During recess Sasuke fled to his hiding spot as fast as he could. As soon as he opened his lunchbox, his little face lit up with joy. He took the small piece of paper out and let his fingers glide over it.

_I'm proud of you, my little angel!_

The curls of Itachi's neat handwriting made it look like a piece of art, something Sasuke had admired even since before he could read the loving words. He folded the paper neatly in half and stored it in his schoolbag, together with all the other ones he had received in his short time at school.

His Aniki always left him something special in his lunchbox; a little note, which he kept like they were his greatest treasures, a small present, sometimes even a huge tomato, even though his Nii-san always told him he shouldn't eat them so much. Sasuke smiled again when he thought of how much his brother spoiled him.

"So this is where you have been hiding?"

3 boys towered over his small frame, grinning and sneering. One kicked against his lunchbox, scattering the carefully made food over the muddy ground and another grabbed his bag, emptying its content around it.

Sasuke yelped and jumped up, trying to at least save those little pieces of paper that meant the world to him.

"What is this? This looks like love letters!"

All 3 huddled around the littered content of Sasuke's bag and grabbed every piece they could find.

With hot tears brimming in the corners of his eyes, Sasuke reached out, but his wrist was caught before he could get the pieces of paper back.

"Please give them back, my Nii-san wrote those!"

The oldest boy looked at him and tightened the hold he had on the boy's hand.

"Your Nii-san? You get love letters from your brother? Are you a little homo?"

Not knowing what they meant, Sasuke started to lose the fight against the persistent tears and wiped his face with the back of his free hand.

"Nii-san is the strongest person in the world, so you better give them back to me!"

But they just laughed and kicked against the bag again, stomping on the spoiled food and breaking his new pencils.

But all Sasuke could see through his now freely flowing tears were those precious pieces of paper, which disappeared into the pocket of the tallest boy.

"Cya later, little homo!"

They laughed and left a broken Sasuke behind. He fell on his knees and started to pick up the remains of his stuff, sniffing and sobbing quietly over the loss of his treasures. What would his Aniki think if he found out that he lost them? Would he be mad? Or even worse; would he be sad? Maybe he would think Sasuke didn't love him enough to fight for him.

Startled at his own conclusions, the boy sat up straight, panic flooding his teary eyes.

_I'm so sorry Nii-san…_

* * *

When I picked up Sasuke from school that day, I could tell something was wrong the minute I saw his pretty face. His onyx eyes were filled with something that almost looked like shame.

I sat down and wrapped my arms around him, worried about what could've happened, but he turned his face away from me; a gesture that almost broke my heart.

"What's wrong Otouto?"

He clenched his eyes, obviously fighting against his tears.

"Nii-san, I…"

I leaned back a little and gently held his chin, forcing him to look at me.

"Tell Aniki what happened baby, please."

His lithe body was trembling in my hold and I bit my lip. It was hell for me to see him like this. What could be so wrong that he couldn't tell me? Did something happen at school? I was at the verge of storming into Sasuke's classroom and finding out, when his sweet voice called out to me.

"Nii-san I… I lost your letters. I'm so sorry Nii-san!"

With that, he let the tears flow freely, trying to hide his face under his velvety bangs. I was confused for a second, but then remembered the stash of little pieces of paper I had once found in his school bag. But why was he so sad about losing those worthless things?

"You wrote all those beautiful letters to me and I just lost them. I-I'm…"

Then it hit me. I had thought before that he had just hidden the pieces of paper in his bag, so that his classmates wouldn't find them. Maybe feeling a little ashamed of them, like how a kid would feel about his mother kissing him in front of all his friends. It hadn't bothered me in the slightest, but now it seemed that Sasuke hadn't hidden them, but he was keeping them carefully, like how one would keep his love letters.

A huge grin appeared on my face as my heart filled with warmth.

"Oh Angel, I'm sorry you lost them, but please don't be sad."

He looked up at me through his tears, surprise winning over sadness in those huge dark orbs and his mouth forming in the cutest little 'o'.

"Let's go home, baby. I will write you a whole book of new letters!"

I picked him up and hugged him tightly while heading home.

His eyes were still big with amazement as we made our way through the town streets.

"Aren't you sad that I lost them?"

I just smiled at him and gave him a little kiss on his nose.

"No Otouto, I'm just sad that YOU are sad. So no more tears okay?"

Finally I received that one thing that could light up the deepest darkness that one thi9ng I craved more than anything else in the world. His beautiful smile.

"Okay Nii-san, I promise."

We spend the entire afternoon on the living room couch, writing each other little notes of love. When Jiraiya came home from work, he picked up one of Sasuke's drawings from the floor, not even commenting on how the family room was littered with paper. With a grin he placed the drawing on the table in front of Sasuke and patted the boy's head.

"Did we have a famous painter over today? Because this drawing looks amazing!"

Sasuke beamed at the compliment and shook his head with fervour.

"I made that! Look, it's me and Nii-san holding hands. And this here is the pond where we go swimming and this here is…"

I zoned out, smiling at my happy little brother, who was chatting away at the white-haired man, who was patiently listening and nodding and exclaiming his amazement at Sasuke's creative 'talent'. Until Tsunade walked in from the kitchen and told us diner was ready.

That night, when I tucked Sasuke in, I stroked his soft hair a little longer than usual. Lingered a bit longer on his bed and kissed his adorable little nose a few times more often than I normally would, internally wrestling with those weird feelings I felt towards this precious little boy.

"Sweet dreams, my little Angel. Never forget that I love you."

His response was almost incomprehensible, due to his sleepiness and the fact that his face was almost completely covered by the heavy blanket.

"Lov.. too…niki…"

But muffled or not, it was all I needed to hear.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

A/N: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and everyone who has been supporting me with this story. It's not easy to write, but the fact that people stay with me for it, really helps me to keep going. I'm sorry if I haven't thanked you personally yet, I do try my best to respond to everyone. Every review is very much appreciated! Also, if you have a question or suggestion, please feel free! ^.^

* * *

Chapter 7.

**Itachi: 15 years old**

**Sasuke: 7 years old**

Little Sasuke had been so happy when he heard that his brother's best friend would be their teacher for a few hours. He sat straight up, beaming a heart-warming smile at the familiar man in front of the class.

The smile was returned by the show of one upwards curled eye and a knowing wink. But before Kakashi's 'special' lesson would start, the man took him apart for a moment and knelt down to be at eye level with the boy.

"Listen Chibi, I can't let you stay for this lesson. Your Nii-san would have my head if I was the one to tell you about these things."

Sasuke's nose scrunched up, not knowing at all what 'these things' were, but thoroughly annoyed by the fact he wasn't allowed to stay. Finally there was someone familiar, someone safe with him at school and now HE had to leave? It just made no sense. So he initiated his highly effective counter attack.

Kakashi rubbed his forehead when he was assaulted with the cutest little pout imaginable. It had always been one of his weaknesses, but since the kid had perfected it through the years, it was now almost impossible to withstand it. But still, his balls were kind of precious to him and he wasn't quite ready to have them chopped off by a certain overprotective Uchiha genius.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but I will call your Aniki to pick you up. You can spend the whole day with him. Doesn't that sound a lot better than sitting in class, listening to me?"

That **did** sound way better, but Sasuke still couldn't believe he was being kicked out. As if he had done something wrong. Deciding to blame the poor silver-haired man, he huffed arrogantly and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Pff, I don't even WANT to stay in your class any more! My Nii-san is much smarter than you are anyway!"

Kakashi grinned at ruffled the boy's hair, earning another annoyed glare.

"That's the spirit, Chibi! Now you are TRULY your Aniki's brother."

And with another chuckle, he patted the black spikes one more time and lifted the narrow chin up to meet the boy's eyes.

"Remember, I will call Itachi, but you HAVE to stay at the playground, okay? Go sit somewhere where I can see you and don't leave the school grounds."

Sasuke nodded, a little amazed that even his mini-tantrum hadn't worked and way too excited to be mad at Kakashi any longer. He would however make sure that Nii-san would hear all about it.

So the rest of the day was looking good for the youngest Uchiha as he walked outside and squinted his eyes against the bright sunlight. First: Telling on Kakashi, second: spending the whole day with the most beautiful and sweetest person in the world. Yup, for once, even a school day could be fun!

* * *

I kicked against a few loose rocks and wandered around the park. I had just dropped Sasuke off at school, but I had a day off myself. I wondered what to do. It had been so long since I had a full day all to myself. I sauntered into town and made small talk with a woman that had helped me with Sasuke when he was just a baby.

She smiled as she reminisced those days.

"I can't believe he is 7 already! I heard today they would have a guest speaker at school to teach them the basics about sexual education, can you believe that?"

_Wait… What?_

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, I heard it earlier, when I spoke to one of the teachers. I think they asked that Hatake boy to do it, but it was all on very short notice..."

I didn't hear the rest of the story, since I was already running back to Sasuke's school. No way in HELL was my sweet innocent Angel learning about sex from one of the biggest perverts I had ever met in my life. Best friend or not, I would kill the silver-haired asshole if he tainted my Otouto's mind!

When I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket, I checked the caller ID and quickly answered.

"I swear to god Hatake, if you..."

"Chibi is waiting for you at the school playground. You better come pick him up right away."

Grinning I hung up without another word. That bastard knew me better than I gave him credit for.

As soon as I reached the school I saw Sasuke sitting on one of the benches near the playground. He was sitting on his hands and looking down at his dangling feet. As I approached him, I heard his sweet voice humming one of the lullabies I sang for him a lot when he was younger. The sunlight that fell on his silky hair made him glow in the soft light.

_Like a little Angel…_

It had taken me quite some time to realize that my pounding heartbeat and fluttering stomach that accompanied every sight and thought of my precious little Otouto, was nothing less than an actual crush. In the beginning it had been so difficult to understand and accept the fact that I loved my baby brother so much more than I was supposed to. I had felt disgusted with myself, even started to hate myself for it. But eventually it had settled in, and there was no way around it any more.

It made me even more protective and determined to keep him happy and I decided that was a good thing. After all, all that really mattered was making sure that Sasuke would always have that beautiful smile on his pretty face. Even if it meant that I would have to deal with this burning love in secret for the rest of my life.

I quietly went up to him and sat down on the ground next to him.

"What are you doing baby?"

His face lit up for a few seconds and he threw his arms around me.

"I got kicked out of the class by Kakashi-san."

His lips curled into the familiar pout as he looked me in the eyes, obviously a little miffed by the whole situation.

"I didn't do ANYTHING wrong, but Kakashi-san said I wasn't allowed to stay, isn't that mean?"

Sasuke knitted his eyebrows together and glared angrily towards his class where the accused man stood, ignorant of the betrayal a few feet away.

"He also said you would kill him. Would you really kill him, Aniki?"

With a huge grin on my face I lifted Sasuke high up in the air and set him on my hip. He wrapped his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck and let out a content little sigh when he rested his head against my shoulder.

"Maybe…" I mused while I glanced through the window of Sasuke's class.

My tall friend met my gaze for a second and winked at me before he turned back to the class and revealed a large poster that had the boys yelling and laughing and the girls clamping their mouths in shock.

"Take me swimming Nii-san?"

I laughed and put him back down on the ground.

"Sure baby, I'll race you there…"

* * *

I sighed deeply and took off my frame less glasses. I had been staring at the piles of paperwork for too long, the letters were starting to dance in front of my eyes. I pinched the bridge of my nose and leaned back in my chair, turning away from the desk and started to get ready for bed.

Just a few weeks ago, I had received a huge promotion at work and I was really trying to prove myself. A better job also meant more money, which I was diligently saving up to be able to buy an apartment for two as soon as I was 18. But it was quite a demanding job as well, with a lot more responsibility and it was putting some strain on my sleep pattern.

It had only been 2 minutes of resting my head against the cool pillows, before I heard the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet rushing through the joined bathroom. I sat up and waited for the door to open. Sasuke's sweet face appeared in the opening, looking flushed and almost teary eyed. Immediately my concern took over my exhaustion.

"What's wrong Otouto? Did something happen?"

I kept my voice down and gestured for him to come in, trying to avoid waking up Jiraiya and Tsunade.

He slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind him.

"Nii-san... I... i-it hurts..."

I stretched my arms out to him and pulled him against me under the covers.

"Where does it hurt baby? Tell Aniki what's wrong."

Sasuke chewed on his bottom lip, making those awfully sinful thoughts enter my mind again, but I quickly pushed them away. My baby needed me, there was no time for selfish thoughts like that.

"I-I... m-my tummy... It hurts so w-weird Nii-san..."

He sounded so insecure and confused that I was really getting worried now.

"It's okay Otouto, I'll rub your tummy for you. Maybe that will help, huh?"

I laid him on his back and propped myself up on one elbow, leaving my other hand free to make Sasuke feel better. But before I could start rubbing his tummy, he grabbed my wrist and shook his little head at me.

"I already tried that Nii-san... i-it only makes it worse..."

I just stared at him when he brought my hand way below his tummy. As soon as my fingers touched the fabric of his pyjama pants, I jerked my hand back as if I was burned. He was pitching quite an impressive little tent under there. Sasuke's eyes immediately started to tear up again.

"What's wrong with me Nii-san? Am I really sick?"

I had apparently freaked him out with my shocked expression and he had translated it all wrong.

I tried to calm myself and forced a smile on my face, my fingers still tingling from the earlier touch.

"Nothing is wrong with you baby, it's just... something that happens when you are growing up."

I silently cursed myself for taking Sasuke away from sex-Ed class. I knew that it would now come down to me having 'the talk' with him, but I hadn't expected it to be so soon.

"So what IS it then Nii-san? And will it keep hurting now?"

His beautiful dark eyes looked up at me while his trembling hands clenched around the sheets. I took a deep breath and forced another smile on my face.

"No Angel, it won't keep hurting like this. It will fade away after a while. Sometimes it can help to take a cold shower, or think about something or someone you really don't like."

I could hardly tell a 7 year old boy to jack off, now could I?

"Let's try that last thing hmm? Now, is there someone in your class you don't like?"

Sasuke seemed to think about that for a bit and then nodded fervently.

"Yes, there is this annoying girl in my class. Actually all girls seem to act so weird, but this one is the worst. She comes up to me and talks really fast and she always gets way too close, trying to kiss me on my mouth. I don't like her, Nii-san!"

I grinned at the fact that Sasuke was thinking about girls to will his erection away.

Suddenly he looked at me with awe and amazement in his beautiful onyx eyes.

"Nii-san! It really works! It doesn't hurt so badly any more!"

I let out a soft laugh and wrapped both my arms around him to pull him tightly against me.

"Of course it works, foolish Otouto. I told you it would, didn't I?"

While I buried my face in his neck and nuzzled his silky skin, I could feel Sasuke nod in affirmation, before tensing up again.

His sweet scent and soft skin made me dizzy and light-headed and I couldn't help but press even closer to the enchanting boy in my arms. I scowled when I thought about the girls in his class that obviously already had an eye on him. It would be like that from now on, wouldn't it? Suitors would be lining up for my Otouto. He is beautiful like that and it would only get worse. I couldn't help the flash of jealousy that reared its ugly head for a moment. Sasuke always had been, and always would be mine!

It wasn't until I heard that adorable little squeak that I was pulled back into reality.

"Nii-san... You're making it worse again!"

I sighed and put a bit more distance between me and my flushed little brother.

"Forgive me Sasuke, maybe you should try the cold shower..."

I lifted him off the bed and pushed him towards the bathroom. When I heard the water running I flopped back on my bed. After a few seconds I sat right back up, my eyes wide and my mouth half open.

_Wait... Those girls in his class turned him off, but... I made his arousal worse?_

I folded my arms behind my head and lay down on my back, a smirk playing across my lips.

_Could it be, foolish Otouto... Could it really be?_

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

* * *

**Itachi: 16 years old**

**Sasuke: 8 years old**

It was starting to bother me that Sasuke never seemed to talk with any of the other kids. He would be waiting all alone on the school grounds when I picked him up, while all the other boys were running around, playing and laughing.

At a particular afternoon I arrived a little later than usual, because of some extra work I had to finish. I rushed to make up for the lost time, but when I finally reached the school gates, my heart dropped.

Sasuke stood with his back pressed against the wall, surrounded by three kids almost twice his size. His hands were balled up in little fists as if he was ready to lash out, but I saw how his limbs were shaking. It was pure fear.

"Are you crying, little homo?"

"You're such a baby!"

"Better run home, stupid freak!"

I stood frozen to the ground for a few seconds. Was this really happening? Were these boys really bullying my little Angel? Was this why Sasuke always seemed so lonely at school?

Anger was quickly seeping into my consciousness, pulsing through my veins and throbbing in my head. Somehow I could keep the sanity needed to not kill the kids, but that was about as much effort I was willing to put in for their sake. With a low growl in my throat I approached them and it didn't take long for the largest boy to notice me, since I was not hiding myself in the slightest.

Within a few seconds the boys had scrambled into three different directions and that pretty little face lit up like the sun as soon as his onyx eyes settled on mine.

"Nii-san!"

"Hey baby…"

I kept my voice low to not give those boys any more ammo to use against Sasuke, but Sasuke himself seemed to not think about that at all. He jumped into my arms and nuzzled my neck with his silky lips. I swallowed and clenched my eyes tightly, trying to ignore the shots of heat that started buzzing through my limbs. Out of habit, my arms wrapped themselves around him and I turned on my heels to head back home, but a vast array of mocking laughter, kissing noises and shouts of "Go home, stupid homo!" stopped me in my tracks.

I jerked my head back towards the three badly hidden boys and narrowed one eye to glare at them. Apparently I still had it; they looked at me with terror in their bulgy eyes and fled almost instantly. Satisfied that my deadly glare still worked, I turned back to Sasuke and smiled before kissing the tip of his nose.

"Baby..?"

"Yes?"

Large obsidian orbs inspected me intently, while he ran his little fingers through my hair.

"You should stop growing so much. You are getting heavy!"

I needed to change the subject for a bit, just so that I could find the right words. I had never experienced bullying at all, except for our abusive father, so I wasn't sure what to say or what advice to give.

Sasuke just grinned widely and stuck his tongue out.

"Soon I'll be just as strong as you, Aniki! And then I will carry you wherever you want to go!"

I laughed and put him down, actually already feeling the burn in my arms a little. Jeez, I really needed to train more…

Lacing his little fingers through my long ones, Sasuke fell a little quiet during the rest of our walk home. I looked down on his black spikes a few times, but he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Nii-san?"

Finally he broke the silence and looked up at me, eyes filled with confusion and curiosity.

"What does 'homo' mean?"

I gulped and thought about it for a second. Deciding that I needed a little peace and quiet for a conversation like that, I pulled the boy with me into the park and found us a nice silent spot. I sat down and pulled Sasuke in my lap, as his comforting scent always helped me relax.

"Well, homo is when people of the same gender fall in love. So two men or two women, instead of a man and a woman."

"Oh…"

He seemed to process that information while he bit on his fingernail.

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all" I assured him.

Whether Sasuke turned out to be straight, gay or whatever, I wanted him to understand that it was alright. For him and for everyone else.

"Am I homo, Nii-san?"

I chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"That question can only be answered by yourself, baby. But don't worry, you're only 8 years old. If you're not sure of it now, you will find out sooner or later."

"Okay Aniki!"

It seemed as if the conversation was over and I felt a little relieved. This had gone better than I feared.

"Nii-san? Are _you_ homo?"

My eyes shot wide open and I felt my heart beating wildly against my ribs.

"I-I… ehm…"

Dammit, why was I so flustered all of a sudden? I had never felt weird or ashamed about my sexuality, so what was wrong now?

Sasuke noticed my hesitation and craned his neck slightly to look at me.

"I… I think so, yes…"

Seemingly excited, Sasuke turned fully around on my lap, straddling my upper legs and lacing his hands behind my neck. He looked at me seriously and chewed on his lower lip.

"Does that mean you won't be mad if I loved a boy Nii-san?"

I grinned to hide my discomfort and lightly pinched his nose for a short second.

"Of course not, foolish Otouto! I wouldn't be mad either way. It's not something weird. Everyone is different and everyone needs to decide their own path in life that makes them happy. Don't let anyone ever tell you differently and don't judge people who follow another path than you do."

I looked up at the sky and squinted a little against the late afternoon sun.

"Besides, love goes in all directions. It can't be stopped and it will not be told. Love is never wrong, as long as the people involved feel the same way."

I wasn't sure whether I was lecturing myself or Sasuke, but the words had just come out.

Sasuke nodded understandingly and played with some strands of my hair. A heavy flush crept over his cheeks as he sighed a little and leaned forward to bury his face in my shirt. We sat there silently for a few minutes and I wondered if it was my heartbeat I could hear or if it was Sasuke's…

* * *

When everyone was finally quiet, the teacher scraped his throat and opened the door to the hallway and held it to let a tall, brown haired boy enter the classroom. Sasuke's eyes immediately fell on the long, flowing strands of hair and let his mind wander off to his Nii-san. Even though this boy's hair was definitely something, it still couldn't match up with the silky locks of Itachi.

But then again, there was no-one who could come anywhere close to his brother's level of beauty anyway. Nobody had eyes like his eyes, or hair like his hair, or a smile like his smile…

When the new boy started to make his way through the class room, Sasuke looked up to look directly into the boy's light eyes. But their unusual colour wasn't the first thing the young raven noticed. Somehow the boy looked… sad. For a moment Sasuke let his mind fantasize about finally finding a friend within a class full of people that obviously didn't like him very much.

Even though most of the bullying had stopped ever since his Aniki had been there when it happened, but most kids still didn't really talk to him or play with him. Except for those loud and clingy girls, that didn't seem to understand that he REALLY didn't want to kiss them.

Sasuke looked at his hands when the boy came closer to his desk. He expected him to not even look at Sasuke and go sit with the popular guys in the back of the room. But the boy stopped right next to him, leaning over the desk. When Sasuke looked up at him with wide eyes, the brunet raised his eyebrows in question at the empty seat next to Sasuke.

Slowly the raven nodded his head and began to smile, but flinched when he hear whispers coming from behind him.

"Don't sit there; you will catch his homo-ness! He is a little freak, who is in love with his brother!"

The long-haired boy just looked at them for a second and rolled his eyes before he sat down beside Sasuke with a soft shake of his head.

He turned to the obviously younger and smaller child next to him and nodded curtly.

"Hyuga Neji" he whispered softly with a small smile.

He didn't know exactly what it was about the little raven that made him sit next to the boy, instead of finding an empty desk like he usually would have, but somehow he had.

And the nasty remarks that came from the kids in the back had only fueled his resolve. He hated bullies and was instantly determined to make a new friend out of the girly looking boy.

Sasuke beamed a winning smile and bowed his head in return.

"Uchiha Sasuke"

During that day, Neji learned that the little boy was all smiles and also a huge chatterbox, but for some reason it didn't annoy him at all. If anything, the usually serious and even somber Hyuga found himself infected with the contagious smirks and laughter.

Sasuke was in seventh heaven. He had never had anyone his own age that wanted to spent time with him. True, the boy was still two years his senior, but the happy raven wasn't one to complain. He revelled in the feeling of making an actual friend and he almost couldn't wait to tell his Aniki all about it.

* * *

I sped up as soon as I saw Sasuke's familiar frame being accompanied by another boy that towered almost a full head over him.

_Not again..._

I gritted my teeth and prepared to scare away yet another bully, but was stopped by Sasuke's ear to ear grin as he looked up to the brown-haired boy. Quickly suffocating that horrible pang of jealousy that reared its ugly head, I slowed my pace.

"Nii-san!"

Sasuke waved enthusiastically and ran towards me for his usual choking hug. I grinned as he wrapped his thin arms around me and took the opportunity to fill my lungs with his intoxicating scent. Burying my face in his hair, I tightly held on to his tiny waist and kissed his hair.

_So soft..._

"Nii-san, can Neji-san walk with us for a bit? His house is in the same direction!"

I looked up to see the boy approaching us and let go of the addictive body to nod a greeting.

"Hello, my name is Hyuga Neji. I just moved to Konoha and I'm in Sasuke-kun's class."

I smiled, but found my arm to be unwilling to let of Sasuke's waist and kept him close to me.

"Nice to meet you, Neji-kun, my name is Itachi."

Not entirely sure if I wanted to recognize the possessive feeling that was invading my heart, I grabbed Sasuke's hand and started the journey home.

At least my Angel found a friend...

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

* * *

Chapter 9.

**Itachi: 17 years old**

**Sasuke: 9 years old**

When I came home my friend's engagement party, I found Sasuke and Neji on the couch, watching an action-film both of the boys were too young for.

"Sasuke! What have I told you about watching that film?"

With wide open eyes, the boy jumped up from his seat and started to stutter.

"I-I... We..."

Then Jiraiya stepped in from the kitchen with a huge bowl of popcorn and smiled at me.

"It's okay, Itachi. I wanted to watch it myself and I told them it was alright. I'll turn it off if it becomes too violent."

I glared at him and grabbed Sasuke's arm, pulling him away from the couch.

"I don't care what you said and it's not okay. I've seen that film and I don't want Sasuke to watch it!"

Seething with anger I rushed up the stairs, dragging my mortified little brother with me. I practically threw Sasuke on my bed and towered over him with my hands on my hips.

"Nii-san, please... I-I'm sorry!"

It took me a few moments to realize that I actually wasn't angry at all. I was just shocked. This was the very first time that Sasuke had done something against my wishes and I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that my cute little Angel could actually be naughty.

"I-I said we c-couldn't... but J-Jiraiya-san said... I'm so sorry Nii-san!"

The way Sasuke was looking at me with those big obsidian eyes, watery with unshed tears… I felt so bad for acting like I had. He sat there, on his hands and knees, looking up at me with something that could almost resemble fear...

"Don't be mad Nii-san, I'm so sorry..."

He was begging me now, letting the brimming tears fall freely over his pretty face. Instantly I sat down on the bed, almost throwing myself at him.

"It's okay baby, I'm not mad anymore. I'm just not used to you disobeying me."

I cupped his chin and looked in his eyes. When he wrapped his arms around my neck and sobbed against me, I felt even guiltier. How could I have treated him so rough? How could I have acted in any way that could remind him of our abusive father?

I stroked his hair and crushed his shaking frame against me, silently cursing myself.

"I'm sorry baby. I love you so much and I'm so sorry. You know I would never ever hurt you, right?"

He nodded against my chest, a few hiccups throwing the motion off a little.

We just sat there for a few minutes. Sasuke's sobs had stilled and he seemed to be dozing off. I sighed when I realized I would have to apologize to Jiraiya as well. He was still our legal guardian and I had no right to talk to him like that, even though I didn't really feel that guilty about that part. In my mind, Sasuke was still mine and only mine...

A few months after Pain and Konan's engagement party, I received their wedding invitation. Since it was set on a Saturday and the invitation clearly said 'Uchiha Itachi and guest' I decided to share this with Sasuke. He had never been to a wedding either and ever since I had told him about how two of my friends from work were getting married, he wouldn't shut up about it.

He asked me so many questions I couldn't answer him, from lack of experience, I figured he would just have to find out for himself.

Needless to say, he was ecstatic when I told him we would go together. He started bouncing in his chair, not even caring when I pushed him back down and scolding him for being so careless with the cutting utensils in his hand.

"Calm down Otouto, we are having diner. Now sit back down before you cut yourself."

"Or me…" Jiraiya winced when he saw the sharp blade of Sasuke's waving knife flash closely in front of his face and lightly slapped the boy's wrist away.

But whatever everyone did and said, Sasuke didn't take those shining dark eyes off of me. Just looking at me with such adoration, that I began to wonder if I had accidentally said something else instead of inviting him with me to this wedding. It couldn't be that much of a deal, right?

"Really Nii-san? Like, really REALLY?"

"Yes, really."

Another happy cheer and an uncontrolled flash of metal made Jiraiya flinch backwards again and he roughly grabbed the knife out of Sasuke's hand this time.

"See how you are going to cut your meat now, Sasuke" he grumbled, even though we all knew he was just as unable to be mad at the little boy as I was.

"You know what? I think you won't be able to eat it at all now, so why don't I just take it…"

He proceeded to reach for the steak on Sasuke's plate with his fork, but was halted mid-table when he received a sharp slap on the wrist.

"Let the boy eat his meat, he still needs to grow. Unlike you…" Tsunade smirked at her husband while she gave a thankful Sasuke his knife back.

Quickly making work of his steak in case Jiraiya would find an unguarded moment to steal it, Sasuke focussed his eyes on me again.

"Sffoo I cabbee youff dab?"

I lightly pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes while shaking my head warily.

"Good god, Otouto. Have you no manners at all? Please don't talk with your mouth full!"

Sasuke bowed his head in shame as a rose-coloured flush crept over his cheeks.

"Fwowwy…"

Jiraiya chuckled, but quickly buried his face back in his plate when Tsunade and I shot him matching angry glares.

When Sasuke finally swallowed the last bit of steak, he lifted his eyes back up and gave me a questioning look.

"Now you can say whatever it was you were trying to say earlier" I grinned at him.

"So I can be your date?"

My eyes widened and my eyebrows must have shot up into my hairline. But before I could answer, Tsunade giggled and reached over the table to ruffle her hand through his naturally messy hair.

"Aren't you the cutest thing ever?" She smiled and started to clean the table and gather the plates.

"You know what? I think you two should look your best at that wedding, so why don't we go out tomorrow and buy you both some fancy new clothes? My treat of course."

I chewed on my lip. I really hated it when they would buy us stuff. Since I had a good job by now, I could easily pay for most things myself. I realised it was coming out of the goodness of their hearts, but I felt like we already owed them so much… And also, I hated shopping.

But before I could object, Sasuke was on his feet and hugged the blonde woman tightly, beaming a smile at her in the process. Jiraiya winked at me while he wiped his mouth with his napkin and chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.

"It looks like the decision has already been made, Itachi-kun. Your silent objections have been noted, taken into consideration and blatantly thrown aside. Sorry."

* * *

Sasuke couldn't believe his luck. He was out shopping, one of his favourite things to do, and with his Aniki no less! Normally Itachi hated shopping, but today, he was actually walking around the huge department store, holding his brother's hand tightly. Every now and then his eyes darted towards the man that he loved so much, finding the somewhat annoyed look on his Nii-san's face still exceptionally beautiful.

Suddenly Itachi turned his head, catching Sasuke's stare and smiled softly. Sasuke could practically feel the heated blush burn on his cheeks.

_Crap, he saw it…_

"So what would you like to wear to the wedding, Otouto?"

Sasuke's stomach jumped a little, his brother's deep smooth voice always bringing that certain warm tingle to his tummy. He still wondered what it was, but he had since long decided that he liked the way his Nii-san made him feel.

"I want to look just as beautiful as you, Aniki!"

Itachi chuckled, resting his warm hand in the boy's hair. It always gave Sasuke a sense of utter satisfaction when he made his brother smile. It was something not many people achieved and Sasuke felt proud to know he was one of the few people who could make his Nii-san happy.

"So, matching outfits then huh?"

Sasuke almost squealed with joy, until he remembered how Neji had told him that it made him look cute and adorable. So he quickly swallowed the noise back. He didn't want to be cute or adorable. He was a boy for heavens 'sake. Boys were supposed to be cool, not cute.

And just as he was thinking that, Tsunade jumped out from behind a clothing rack and held out some weird looking clothes with an ecstatic grin on her face.

"Look Sasuke-kun, I found the perfect outfit for you to wear! Isn't it absolutely adorable?"

Again that word… Sasuke scowled a little while he inspected the fabrics that were practically shoved in his face and brushed them aside with a look of utter disgust in his eyes.

"I don't want to wear something like that!"

Tsunade's face fell a little, while she looked back at the outfit in her hand, inspecting it one more time.

"Are you sure? You would make such a cute little sailor and it would go so well with the theme of the wedding, since it's held on a boat. And it even comes with this precious little hat!"

To Sasuke's relief Itachi jumped to the rescue and politely waved off the woman's good intentions.

"It's okay, Tsunade-san, I think Sasuke and I are going to look for a nice suit."

And with that, the two brothers dashed past her and left behind the blonde a little disappointed.

"I don't get it, they have the rest of their lives to wear stuffy suits…"

She couldn't help but grin when she eyed the little outfit one last time before putting it back on the rack. It really would've looked so utterly adorable…

Sasuke followed his Aniki around the store, surprisingly enough not even looking at most of the clothing articles they passed. Even though he loved shopping, he just couldn't seem to get his thoughts away from the feeling of his Nii-san's long fingers wrapped around his own smaller ones. He thought it was weird; it wasn't as if them holding hands was something new to Sasuke, but the warmth spreading through his insides and the nervousness definitely was. He bit on his lower lip, trying to figure out what was making him so skittish lately. It certainly had something to do with his Aniki, since it only happened whenever they were close, or when he was thinking about him.

"How about this, baby?"

Startled from his thoughts, Sasuke looked up and gasped a little when he found Itachi's face close to his own. Trying to cover up his embarrassing blush, he quickly turned his head a little to see what his brother was pointing at.

The mannequin was dressed in a beautiful navy suit, not too formal and not too casual, and Sasuke nodded his head in approval. That would look really good on his big brother…

"Excuse me sir, we would like to try this on please?"

The attendant nodded and quickly gathered the clothing items and directed them to the fitting rooms.

"I'm sorry sir, but there is only one empty room available right now. You would have to take turns, or wait for a little while. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, that won't be necessary; we can share a fitting room. Thank you very much for your help"

Before Sasuke knew what was happening, he was locked inside the spacious enough room with his Aniki. His beautiful Aniki, who was currently half-naked and in the process of undoing his belt. And little Sasuke just stood there, staring. His mouth half open as his eyes drank in the sight of his brother's muscular upper body.

Right. That was happening a lot as well lately. He was starting to notice things about Itachi. Things like how soft his fingers were. And how thick and long his eyelashes were. And how his skin was so flawless. And how his eyes would curve slightly when he smiled…

Trying his hardest to ignore another one of those strange and unfamiliar stirrings in his body, Sasuke began to fumble with his own clothes. When he gave an annoyed sigh at the uncooperative buttons of his shirt, he heard Itachi chuckle again.

Already dressed in his new pair of pants, that looked impeccable on his brother's frame, but still naked from the waist up, his Nii-san knelt in front of him and placed his hands over Sasuke's now trembling ones.

"Here, let me help you Otouto…"

Sasuke was just lost in the moment. He picked a spot on the wall in front of him and just stared at it intently, while his brother helped him into his new outfit. Why was he acting so stupid? And why was his heart beating so fast? And why did his Aniki smell so very, very good?

"What's wrong, baby?"

"N-Nothing…" he stammered while he lowered his eyes away from Itachi's burning gaze.

Another chuckle and a light peck on the tip of his nose made his cheeks heat up impossibly and he had to suppress the inclination to cover his face.

"You look so handsome, baby…"

Sasuke clenched his eyes and threw his arms around his Aniki, burying his face in the strong neck.

_Why do you make me feel so weird, Nii-san?_

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

"..." : speech

_Italic_ : thought

* * *

Chapter 10.

I leaned back against my pillows and let the memories of the last day pass by me once again. It had been such a beautiful wedding. Not that I had anything to compare it with, but the atmosphere and scenery had been breath-taking.

And Sasuke… I couldn't help the sappy grin that stretched over my face when I thought about how he had looked so pretty in his new suit. Visions of him prancing around, patiently enduring the delighted women around him and taking in his surroundings with huge eyes kept replaying themselves in my head.

He had been so in awe when Konan walked down the aisle, his loud gasps earning a few chuckles from the people around us. She had looked absolutely stunning though; the dress complimenting her figure and the soft white fabric flowing around her in the soft sea breeze. But the thing that had made her shine the most was her smile. The way she had looked at the man that was waiting for her up front.

As soon as she had passed us, Sasuke had tugged on my sleeve and whispered in my ear;

"Is she an Angel?"

I hadn't been able to stop myself from wrapping an arm around him and pulling him tightly against me.

"The only Angel here is you, baby. But doesn't she look happy?"

Sasuke had nodded and kept on staring at the slowly moving girl on her father's arm.

"That's how people look when they have found true love."

The dark eyes had turned back at me and looked at me with such intent, that I had been on the verge of asking what he was thinking about. But the ceremony had started and the moment was gone.

I did get to find out what it had been all about though. Kakashi had passed his driver's exam a little earlier that month and he had insisted on driving us back home. I had cuddled up with a sleepy little brother in the back seat and was idly talking to my friend about the day's occurrences, assuming that Sasuke had already fallen asleep.

But the cutest little murmur had drawn our attention back to the messy little heap in my arms.

"Nii-san?"

"What is it baby?"

He had rubbed his eyes and looked at me with that same intense look he had just before the ceremony.

"When I grow up, can I marry you?"

Kakashi had laughed out loud, a huge grin on his face.

"That's so cute, Chibi. Do you want to wear a pretty dress like that too then?"

But Sasuke had just lifted up his head a little, too tired to even respond to the playful teasing.

"No, I just want to marry Aniki. I want to make him just as happy as the lady looked."

It had just been quiet afterwards, Kakashi still grinning widely and winking at me through the rear-view mirror.

I clenched my hands around my sheets as that same warmth filled me when I remembered those sweet whispers. My heart swelled up with love to the point of bursting and I quickly got up and made my way quietly to Sasuke's room.

Moving slowly to not wake the sleeping boy, I slid underneath his sheets and curled up around him, inhaling his heavenly scent.

_God, I love you so much Sasuke…_

* * *

**Itachi: 18 years old**

**Sasuke: 10 years old**

When we were finally ready to move in to the new apartment, I decided to throw a little housewarming party for some of my friends and colleagues, who had helped out a lot. Sometimes it still amazed me how someone as quiet and self-absorbed as I am, could end up with friends like that. So I thanked them the only way I knew how; offer them some free drinks and fun.

Sasuke would be home later that night, being dragged around by Kakashi at some mandatory museum for school, so at the moment I could drink and dance without having to worry about setting a wrong example for the sweet little boy. Despite his age, he was barely a typical pre-teen. Punctual, neat, well mannered, shy, sometimes even bordering on secluded. It did sometimes worry me that he still didn't seem to have a lot of friends, save for the ever loyal Hyuga boy. But on the other hand, his unwavering love and adoration towards me was really tickling my self-esteem.

Anyway, the party was already a success only 5 minutes after my friends had arrived. Loud music, dancing and drinking was all I needed to blow off a little steam. Maybe a bit too much to drink. One hour in, I wasn't really drunk yet, but I was feeling the alcohol in my blood and noticed my inhibitions melt like snow in the sun. It felt good, not having any worries, even if it was for a little while.

I heard the front door slam and saw Kakashi walk down the hallway with a grin on his face and a wide-eyed Sasuke tucked safely underneath his arm. Kakashi whispered into the boy's ear and pointed in my direction, while I was already making my way through the small crowd towards them.

"There's my pretty baby! Did you have fun Sasuke?"

I was aware my words were slurring a little, but somehow I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around the lithe frame of my Otouto, and stared into the dark and twinkling eyes.

"Are you drunk, Nii-san?"

He chuckled curiously. I gave him a mock frown and poked his forehead.

"Of course not, foolish Otouto... If I was drunk, could I do this?"

Then I picked him up and hoisted him over my shoulder, while he squealed with joy. I loved hearing him laugh like that. So carefree and happy. That's how he should be. Enjoying life without having to worry about a thing.

I walked down the hall and put him down on his bed.

"Can't I come in for the party Nii-san? It looks like it is so much fun..."

I put a finger on his lips before he could pout at me. I wasn't sure I could stand up to that cute little face in my current condition.

"Shush baby, it's late..."

His pretty face fell a little, which never failed to make me feel bad.

"Now what's with that frown? Don't you know I have the perfect medicine for that?"

A brief flash of recognition graced his features before it was already too late for him. I grabbed his waist and started to tickle him all over. His sides, his neck, his feet, until he was breathless and flushed from laughing.

"Nyaaaahh... Nii-san stop! Aahahaa... noooo!"

"I just want to see you smile baby."

"Pleaaaaase, N-Nii-san! No more, I-I can't… breathe…"

I grinned at his disheveled state and ruffled up his silky black hair a bit more.

"Now that's a lot better Otouto!"

He fell back on his brand new bed, still giggling while he tried to catch his breath. His hair was messy and falling in front of his face, dark eyes shining, a fierce blush on his nose and cheeks and his rosy lips wet and heaving under his breaths. A pang of guilt shot through me when I realized my slowly awakening arousal.

I should have left the room that very moment, but I didn't. I lay down beside him and nuzzled my face in his neck. He turned on his side and looked at me happily with those beautiful ebony eyes, and I was just trapped inside of them. How could someone so innocent have me so hypnotized? I noticed that I had inched closer to his face, while I was stroking his black hair away from his forehead.

His full lips had never looked more inviting and I just craved for a little taste. Without thinking I pressed my lips against his and put an arm around his tiny waist to pull him closer to me. I had almost expected him to struggle and turn away from me. But instead he sighed and wrapped his arms around my neck, moving his pouty lips against mine. This went on for a few minutes, just the softest touch of lips, kissing his upper lip, his plump bottom lip, the corner of his mouth... I felt like I was in heaven. Until I noticed how hard I was getting. I had to stop this...

I pried his arms away from me and pulled back a little. The soft little mewls of protest made me smile as I looked at his still flushed face.

"I love you so much Sasuke..."

I whispered against his ear. He smiled that irresistible little smile of his and put one hand on my face.

"I love you too, Nii-san!"

"Promise me this Otouto; promise me that you will always be my sweet little baby, my beautiful Angel and the love of my life!"

"I promise Nii-san."

Even though he might not have fully comprehended my words, his soft reply made me happy nonetheless. Then his adorable smile turned into a cheeky grin when he said

"Seal it with another kiss?"

My face actually hurt from smiling so widely. _That naughty little..._

"Maa Otouto, tricking your dearest Aniki into more kisses? You're such a bad little boy, Otouto!"

I had started nuzzling his neck and began to playfully bite every ticklish spot he had. Sasuke's beautiful voice sounding so happy and carefree, it warmed me to my core. I made him feel like that. I made my Otouto happy. I ended up on his mouth again, softly nipping on his addictive bottom lip.

The content little sigh I was rewarded with, brought me back to earth. Those beautiful dark eyes were hypnotizing me once again.

"Nii-san?"

"Yes baby?"

"Those were real kisses right?"

I looked at him tentatively. Had I taken it too far? I mentally slapped myself. Of course I had taken it too far; I just KISSED my baby brother.

But my prolonged silence had turned the happiness in Sasuke's huge eyes into hurt and rejection. For some reason I couldn't shake the feeling that he might have enjoyed our little make-out session (even though it was still quite innocent) almost as much as I had.

"Yes Otouto, those were real kisses."

He fumbled with the collar of my shirt for a while, biting his bottom lip in the process. Then he looked back into my eyes, a small hint of insecurity fluttering over his pretty face.

"I learned in school that real kisses are only for special people, people that you love the most. Does that mean I'm special to you Nii-san?"

I stared into his eyes for a few moments before I realized I was supposed to answer his question.

"Baby, you are the most special person in my life. I love you more than anything or anyone. I need you to promise me that you will never, EVER forget that."

My reward was another one of his beautiful smiles, lighting up the room like the sun.

"I promise that too, Aniki."

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


End file.
